WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 19, 2013 – In response to the Federal Communications Commission’s Approval of E-Rate Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks public comment on changes to the E-Rate, Brian Lewis, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) said:

“ISTE is very pleased that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has heard the calls of educators, parents and students to launch this much-needed effort to update the extremely successful E-Rate program. Today’s action by the FCC continues the momentum from ISTE’s delivery last week of a petition signed by more than 1,700 educators urging the FCC to accomplish the goals of the ConnectEd initiative to provide high-speed broadband access to 99 percent of our nation’s students. As the FCC embarks on this critical rulemaking, we urge the Commission to approve a significant and permanent increase to the E-Rate program’s annual cap in order to ensure that our nation’s students gain access to technology tools and graduate with the skills necessary for college and career success.

ISTE recognizes the leadership of President Obama, Senator Rockefeller, and Commissioner Rosenworcel, and we thank them for their ardent support of high-speed broadband connectivity for all of our nation’s students. ISTE plans to file substantive comments on the E-Rate NPRM, and we urge all education and library stakeholders to do the same.”

About ISTE

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected learners in a connected world. Home to ISTE’s annual conference and expo and the widely adopted ISTE standards for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age, the association represents more than 100,000 professionals worldwide. For more information, visit iste.org.